Lost in all the talk about how strong this draft is at wide receiver, quarterback and offensive tackle is that as many as five cornerbacks could go in the first round.

Five of the seven mock drafts on NFL.com have five corners being selected in the first round. Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard, Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller and Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert go in the first round of all seven, while Ohio State's Bradley Roby and TCU's Jason Verrett are first-rounders in six of the seven. Gilbert is the first corner selected in all seven mocks, and the earliest he is selected is the 10th pick (two of the mocks).

Once in the past five years have five corners gone in the first round, in 2010. And five corners in that span have been top-10 picks.

Interestingly, the first cornerback selected in each of the past four drafts has played in the SEC. There are no SEC corners expected to go in the first round this year, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise if no SEC corner goes until the third round.

"Good" height is a common factor among the corners drafted in the first round. Nine of the 17 first-round corners have been at least 6 feet tall, and six others have been 5-11; the other two were 5-10. This year, two of the top five corners are at least 6-0 and two others are 5-11. If TCU's Jason Verrett (5-foot-9½) goes in the first round this season, he will be the shortest corner to be a first-rounder in the past six drafts.

Here's a look at this year's top five and how they compare to the 17 who have gone in the first round in the past five drafts.

Key college stats: 196 tackles, 11 interceptions, 17 pass breakups in 50 games over four seasons.

Key NFL stats: 358 tackles, six interceptions, 38 pass breakups in 71 games over five seasons. Signed with Philadelphia as free agent in March after five seasons in New Orleans. Played one season at corner before being moved to safety.